EDITORIAL Dear Reader, Greetings from the Editorial Team of Crucibles. We are back with a complete new edition of Ezine and this is our 29th Edition. I could feel the heat and can smell the mangoes too. A sense of vacation is all over, students enjoying their vacation and a few, struggling with their internships and entrance exams. On this note, we wish all of you a very “Best of Luck”. In the midst of the entire struggle in the hot sun, we introduce our magazine to all of you, so that you people can grab a little information without much of a struggle. You would be wondering what’s new in this edition as the cover page so fascinating and as the cover reveals it, the cover story is “Marriages – A victim of financial instability.” This is chosen as the marriage rates are hitting the lowest levels in the history. Talking about others, we have a few articles dealing with stress and students flying abroad for further education. Among all these, you would also find a piece which is a tribute to Mr. Khushwant Singh, who passed away recently, but left back a treasure in the form of his work. As we always try our best to bring in new external contributors to our magazine. We are happy to announce that we have a few new external contributors writing for us: 1. Pankaj K. Yadav, Professor, IIPM 2. Krishna Priya, B.A., St.Pious X Degree college 3. Shanmukh Sriram, PGP/SS/13-‐15, IIPM I would like to thank MUKHPREET KHURANA (UGP/SS/13-‐16) and URVASHI TYAGI (PGP/WIN/13-‐ 15) for their immense support in making this a success. A special mention, we would like to thank MUKHPREET KHURANA for his effort in coming up with such a titillating cover page. Lastly, I would like to end on a note, “There is scarcely any passion, without struggle” – Albert Camus. Life is a beautiful struggle full of lessons, opportunities, laughter and love. Every life lesson, every missed opportunity and every mistake will help you grow extraordinaly from it. HAPPY READING!!!
ZOYA NAAZ PGP/SS/13-‐15
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Table of Content S.no
Topics
Page Number
01.
Marriages – a victim of financial instability
03-‐06
02.
Elections 2014
07-‐09
03.
Education – a passport for future
10-‐14
04.
Agricultural Sector
15-‐17
05.
Top secrets of successful people
18
06.
Stress – a brawl behind the brain
19-‐21
07.
An unfair deal of Migrants
22-‐23
08.
Romancing with the pen
24-‐25
09.
Warren Buffett – Sage of Omaha
26-‐27
10.
Frozen Frames
28
11.
Discreet Diaries
29
12.
Einstein’s Popcorn
30-‐32
13.
Grapevine
33
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“Marriages – A victim of financial crisis” Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” The blissful feeling, wherein two different individuals take vows hand in hand, to have and to hold from that day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish, as long as they both shall live. The flowers, the rings, the champagne, the bride and the groom with butterflies in their bellies are just so fascinating. Defining it the Wikipedia way, “Marriage is a socially or ritually recognized union or legal contract between spouses that establishes rights and obligations between them, between them and their children, and between them and their in-‐laws.” But is the God so busy that he isn’t having time to bind us up in this trap. Or is it we people are running away from it because of few reasons? You may be wondering why I quoted it that way. The statistics that I came across forced me to quote it that very way. According to a survey conducted on 01.01.2014 by CDC, National Survey of Family Growth, there was a downgrade in the marriage rates in recent years. US Marriage Statistics Annual number of U.S. marriages Marriage rate Divorce rate Percent Currently Married by Race and Sex White Men White Women Black Men Black Women Hispanic Men Hispanic Women Marriages by Education Level No High School Diploma High School Diploma or GED Some College Bachelor’s Degree or Higher Religion in Marriage Statistics Percent of married women who say religion is very important Percent of married men who say religion is very important Percent of married women who say religion is not important Percent of married men who say religion is not important First Marriage Survival (Probability of lasting more than 10 years) Probability that a first marriage will survive 10 years
Data 2,077,000 6.8 per 1,000 3.4 per 1,000 Percent Married 44 % 51 % 32 % 26 % 43 % 45 % Percent of Marriages 28 % 26 % 21 % 11 % 60.1 % 50.9 % 36.3 % 35.4 % Probability 0.66 % – 1 in 15
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If there was no birth during marriage If there was a birth before marriage If there was a birth 0-‐7 months after marriage If there was a birth 8+ months after marriage Cohabitation Leading to Marriage Statistics Probability a first time cohabitation will lead to marriage within 1 year Probability a first time cohabitation will lead to marriage within 3 years Probability a first time cohabitation will lead to marriage within 5 years
0.37 % – 1 in 27 0.65 % – 1 in 15 0.74 % – 1 in 13 0.79 % – 1 in 12 Probability 0.21 % – 1 in 47 0.43 % – 1 in 23 0.57 % – 1 in 17
*http://www.statisticbrain.com/marriage-‐statistics/
According to the National Center for Family and Marriage Research, since 1970, there has been a huge decline in the number of marriages performed annually i.e, It has dropped down by nearly 60% that is 31 marriage for every 1000 unmarried women in 2012 against 74 marriages happened for every 1000 unmarried women. This has been a slow process. The decline is even more notable for Millennial. In the early 60s, two thirds of all 20 individuals were married which was a massive 68%. But as the time pass by, in 2008, only 26% were bound by marriage vows. Let’s not talk about the facts and figures and shift our focus on the reasons behind such a declination. 1. The Recession: According to a 2014 study from the Urban Institute, one of the primary reasons behind forcing people to take a step back from tying the knots is Recession. Because of this economic shock many young adults have put this exciting stage of life on the back burner.
The survey considered the Minnenials’ age parameters as the base and projected that if the post-‐ recession rate continues, then there is a drop of about 12% among the current minnenials. The 2007-‐2008 recessions led to depressed wages and thereby, increased unemployment. They lacked economic freedom and security. Resulting in, shifting the focus of the minnenials on graduating and finding a job so as to clear their wedding bills. Eventually, the college graduates have observed a slight increase as the minnenials would marry by the age 40.
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2. The growing Income Gap: Its visibly common these days, the poor is getting poorer and the rich is getting richer. The lower-‐income communities are short of financially stable partners which had limited the marriages.
The chart shows, 83% of middle aged men with top 10% of annual earnings are married today, whereas among the rest only 64% of the median earners and half of them in the bottom 25th percentile are married. Comparing it to the year 1970, the marriage rates were 95%, 91% and 60% among the top, median and bottom percentile earners respectively. Talking about women in the same scenario, it was noted that although there is a growth in the workforce and salaries where increased gradually. Still, the marriage rate among top earners kept growing since 1970 and instead the rest decline more by 15 points. But as feeling cannot be measured with income or education, It was observed that about 46% graduates and 44% of high school diploma holders and unmarried with an income below $100,000 per annum would like to get married. Many people preferred spouses who could support the family.
3. Shifting public attitudes: One of the reasons behind this declination is the mindset of the people about marriages. Religion could be a reason behind such an attitude shift.
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4. Contraception Use: According to the surveys conducted, since 1985, the general contraception has increased about by 20%. It is seen as a technical innovation. Birth Control has helped women to forgo marriages and continue with their education and career opportunities.
5. Women in the workforce:
Before a few decades ago, men were solely responsible for the bread and butter in marriages. As the women gained spots in the workforce, they not only started financially supporting their families but also brought about social and political freedom.
On a large scale, in 2012, women comprised of about half the labour force which was just 38% back in 1970. In 1963, the women had no income at all. Its then the Inflation adjusted the annual earnings thereby, increasing the earnings to almost $20,000 in 2009. This isn’t the same when viewed on a small scale. Over the years, the relationship between female employment and marriage rates became slightly complex. Marriages are not just declining but also changing over a period of time – Women aren’t expected to be just housewives anymore. ZOYA NAAZ PGP/SS/13-‐15
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“Elections 2014 – cycle of hope and disillusionment” Elections are the process of choosing and electing the capable personalities to help us out and to rule us better. India is the world’s largest democracy. In India, Elections are held every five years. Elections are held when a ruling party completes its term of five years or when the President of the country dissolves the house. The General Elections 2014 are being held in nine phases from 7th of April, 2014 to 12th of May 2014. This election is said to be the longest in the country’s history. The Election Commission of India conducts these elections and some thousands of people volunteer for these works. According to the statistics, the electoral population is about 814 millions out of which over 100 millions are newly registered voters. Elections 2014 have become a trending topic everywhere. The newspapers have dedicated two to three pages solely to cover the poll mandates and the television’s prime hours are full of debates and discussions. The social networking sites have become a platform for the youth of the country to share and express their views and to support their leader by ‘likes’, ‘shares’, ‘tweets’ etc.
Now, comes the main question…why all this? I mean what is the crux of all these discussions and debates? What has made the General Elections of 2014 special? The list of these questions goes on and on. But, so do the answers. Let us look at what makes these elections special and all the more interesting.
Background: First of all let us look at the scenario prior to these elections. And let us start with the ruling party itself. Congress won the 2009 elections with a sweeping majority and formed the Government for the second consecutive year with its allies at the centre and Congress along with its allies is called the UPA (United Progressive Alliance). But, the grass was not so green for the Congress during its second term since the allegations of corruption and irresponsible bureaucracy have grabbed more attention and also have become a point of criticism all over the country. The crime rate also has seen a steep increase during the last five years. Though it has
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brought into effect the policy of RTI, there has been no other noteworthy policy of the ruling party. The anti-‐corruption movement led by Anna Hazare attracted large number of crowds and also the ruling party got a taste of people’s ire and growing impatience against the ways of party after the infamous Delhi rape case and also with the huge support from all the cadres of the society to people like Anna Hazare. The ruling party received a huge blow when it lost long hold on Delhi to Aravind Kejriwal of the AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) who won the Delhi Elections with a thumping majority. The Allies also have been acting like a sword on head with the constant threat of withdrawal. Apart from this the UPA took a historical decision of passing the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill along with the creation of Telangana. This i.e., creation of Telangana has resulted in the Congress splitting into two at the state level. The increase in prices of the commodities and staples also had a negative impact on the UPA. This year it has proposed Mr. Rahul Gandhi as its PM candidate. Now, coming to the opposition we can see that Mr.Narendra Modi is the prime person and also the prime ministerial candidate from the opposition. He, at present is the chief minister of Gujarat and is using the Gujarat model to a great extent in his campaigning. Another prime candidate from the opposition is Mr.Aravind Kejriwal, who with his simplicity and sincerity has gained the trust of the voters. This is just the background of the elections.
Campaigning: The aspect of campaigning is far more interesting with each party accusing its opposition on the wrongs it has committed in the past while highlighting the welfare schemes they have implemented for the welfare of the people. The campaigning, many a times, did turn dirty with the leaders’ commenting on sensitive issues or publicly acknowledging to harm each other. Social networking sites and the social media have been an interesting platform for campaigning as well. Many leaders adapted to the use of social networking sites to connect to the youngsters of the country who are also the major contributors as the voters. Advertisements of every party galore on all television channels with the promise of free education, safety for girls, free house loans and so on. Majority of parties had also held road shows and attracted a large crowd. Certain other parties went for Door-‐to Door campaigning so as to reach out to all the voters.
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Impact: What is the impact of all this? Are the voters falling for the tactics and dirty politics? Or are they analyzing and scrutinizing the party manifestoes? These are the million dollar questions at present. This year polls are quite interesting since the majority of voters are youngsters and the prediction about the outcome of the polls has become a tad bit difficult. Everyone has adapted to the motto of vote for change and the politicians have adapted to the motto of wait and watch! 16th of may provides an answer for all these questions and will prove if it was worth the wait. Now, the ball is in our court. Let us all take a pledge to vote and win the game. After all it is our country and our future.
G.KRISHNA PRIYA B.A. Student St.Pious X Degree College
#Crucibles Add on:
-‐ The new Lok Sabha is expected to be constituted by June 1 with 543 lawmakers chosen from across India. Of these, 131 seats are reserved for candidates from the country’s scheduled castes and tribes.
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“Education – a passport to the future” We are in that month of the year where one would find students with tears in their eyes, hugging each other with a heavy heart of separating, juniors bidding farewell to their seniors, teachers guiding their students for a proper career ahead. On the other hand, you would also find students preparing for GRE, TOEFL, IELTS etc. Yeah! you are right these are those standardised tests that serve as an admissions requirement for different universities in different countries mainly US. But why is that it’s so trending among the Indian students? Does the Indian degree aren’t valuable anymore? If it is so then why do we find students from China, Somalia etc. Come down for a valuable degree in India? Or is it just a status symbol? Does the currency play an important role in promoting it? You’ll find a huge number of students flying abroad in 2012-‐2013, but is it an initiative taken by our ancestors and being continued by us? As these questions have been churning my brain for a long period of time and forced me to do a little research on the same. While doing so, I came across few interesting statistics which would help us in answering the above.
Indian students have been travelling abroad in large numbers to study, and thereby, becoming an important source of international enrolment diversity, research strength and revenue for institutions of higher education across the world. However, this number has been shrinking due to the financial crisis, a devaluing rupee and also due to the changes in immigration laws in host nations. Stating the facts and figures, I came across during the study conducted by IIM-‐B, it says “The number of students flying abroad for their studies rose a stunning 256% i.e., from 53,266 to 189,629 in just nine years.” The two major continents have always top the list as the main recipients of Indian students. ASSOCHAM estimated that these figures caused a huge loss of US $17 billion to the Indian revenue with an overestimate of 600,000 students as its base. But other studies such as UNESCO and Institute of International Education, estimate it to be around 200,000 in the year 2010-‐2011.
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The reasons behind why and where do these students fly According to IIM-‐B study, US have remained the most popular destination among the Indian students providing the most prestigious education in the world. But it has recently lost its share from 73.4% in 2000 to 53.6% in 2006. The second most preferred destination is UK. It attracted 17% of students to their ballroom. And Australia was no less in doing the same. Countries like Germany, France also lost their shares and is expected to gain their share which UK will lose because of its tightening in visa regulations. Countries like Sweden, Denmark, Italy and Ireland made an entry in the list as, students these days are looking out for universities which could provide them considerably cheaper education and ensure part-‐time jobs.
The Global Picture: Graphically representing the current and forward-‐looking Indian enrolment data from host nations and also analyzing the trends based on the recent changes in the volume of applicants.
The United States: As United States is the favoured destination among students, it witnessed close to 100,000 student-‐visa-‐holding Indians in the United States in 2012/13. But the story isn’t the same, the global financial crisis of 2008 has turned into stagnation and now the enrolment is declining. The
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same had been witnessed by United Kingdom and Australia over the period of time. The only country that maintained its consistency with strong and continued enrollment growth is Canada. Growth in other countries such as New Zealand, China and Germany has been slow and steady.
The above table depicts a decline in the number of enrolments by 23.1% in graduate level and by 18.3% at the undergraduate level. Considering the OPT figures it dropped by 6.3% which are included in the total. The future forecasted data shows that there is a 40% increase according to Council of Graduate Schools, with 285 institutions responding to the survey. It also depicts that approximately 103,000 graduate degrees where awarded in the year 2010-‐2011. According to the World Education Services, the majority of applicants where from non-‐ US addresses showing a sign of future academic mobility. In the year 2013, 51% of Indian applicants enrolled against 38% in 2008.
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The US mission in India issued around 40,000 visas in the year 2013 which represents a 43% increase in the year 2012. The number of students appeared for the GRE increased by 70% in 2012-‐2013 against 2011-‐2012 which was 33,504. Around 30,213 students appeared for the GMAT Exam in 2012 against 25,394 in 2011. However, the volume of tests being sent dropped down from 64% in 2008 to 51% in 2012.
United Kingdom: The country witnessed a strong growth in Indian enrolments in past few years to a high of 39,090 in 2010 which drastically dropped down to 29,900 in 2011 and a little decline in 2012. The average Indian applicants in 2013-‐2014 dropped down by 8% versus 2012/13, estimating a growth of 9% in 2013/14. The two primary reasons for the decline was weakening of the Indian rupee and the governments immigration crackdown by tightening of visa regulations. Indian rupee has weakened against the major currencies from past four years. The expensive cost of living and studying made it burdensome. Statistics says, the rupee value declined 17.4% against the pound, 14.5% against US and 10% against Australian dollar.
Australia: The story of Australia has been similar to that of the UK. The bigger gains were witnessed in the first half of the decade with a constant growth. There were 120,496 enrolments in 2009 which declined by 55% in 2012 i.e., 53,951. The reasons behind such a drop in interest among students were the same as in the case of United Kingdom. But one of the main reasons was the racially motivated attacks and killings of Indian students in the second half of 2009. The recent data shows that there was a renewed interest among the students which increased the number from 11,840 to 15,194 in the year 2013. There was rise in enrolments from 17.7% in 2012 versus 2011 that sums up to 5,658. Nonetheless, 2013 commencements were also up by 59.6% (7,770) against the previous year. The reduction in the scrutiny from the Immigration Department has also led to the renewed interest of the students.
Canada: Canada is the second most popular country for Indian to study abroad, with enrolments increasing by 23% to 29,000 in 2012. They could maintain this consistency, as they implemented
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the immigration reform and The Canadian Experience Class that allowed students to apply for permanent residency and thereby, increasing the number to 20,000. According to the National Strategy for International education, the policymakers are forecasting a growth with an increase in the number from 239,000 in 2011 to 450,000 by 2020.
Conclusion: The study has ignited a discussion among the citizens on how to address the significant financial loss – not to mention talent drain, when students opt for settling down in the foreign countries after their education in there. One of the solutions could be – more and more quality education institutions to be set up in India and also by encouraging good quality foreign universities to set up branches in India.
SHANMUKH SRIRAM PGP/SS/13-‐15
#Crucibles Add on: “A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.” ― Nelson Mandela
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“Agricultural Sector – Place of Pride” Generally any economy is made up of three broad economic activities. They are: 1. AGRICULTURE 2. INDUSTRY 3. SERVICE Among these three sectors, agricultural sector occupies a place of and provides basic ingredients necessary in both developed developing countries. The agricultural sector is the dynamic behind the development of industrial sector as well as the economy.
pride and force
CONTRIBUTION TO ECONOMY Agricultural sector contributes to the economy in the following three ways: Ø PRODUCT CONTRIBUTION: The supply of food grains to the people and raw materials to industrial sector is called as the product contribution. Ø FACTOR CONTRIBUTION: Once the agricultural sector develops it becomes a source for the transfer of capital and labour to non agricultural sector in the economy. The transfer of these resources is called as factor contribution. Ø MARKET CONTRIBUTION: Agricultural sector supplies its produce to both domestic as well as foreign markets. In turn, it also purchases some products of other sectors. This interdependence of supply and demand is called as market contribution.
IMPORTANCE IN INDIAN ECONOMY We know well that India lives in villages where agriculture is the primary occupation of the rural people. 72.2% of our population lives in rural areas and the better performance of agricultural sector is considered as vital for inclusive growth in our economy. Agriculture sector, including forestry, fishing, mining and quarrying and allied activities, is significantly contributing to Gross Domestic Product in India. It is the largest employment providing sector in India. According to 2011 census 53.4 % of total main workers are employed in this sector.
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However, due to the impact of economic reforms and the strategy of liberalizing the economy, the employment opportunities in non-‐agriculture sectors were expanded. It is the main source for the supply of raw-‐materials for the industries. Sugarcane, wheat, paddy, etc are the chief sources of raw materials. Handloom weaving, oil crushing, rice husking, etc are mainly dependent on agriculture. The purchasing power of rural people depends upon the development of agricultural sector. According to FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization], India is a hunger affected country. 200 million people of the world under nourished people live in India. The “HUNGER INDEX” shows that our country ranks 66th on a list of 88 hunger-‐prone countries. This hunger index calls for the necessity of increasing the production of food grains. Growth in food grain production and its access to people depends on the development of agriculture sector.
CAUSES FOR LOW PRODUCTIVITY There are many reasons for the low productivity in our agriculture. They can be classified into four broad categories. They are: Ø General Factors: • High dependency of workers on agriculture is leading to a decline in land area • Inadequate infrastructure facilities is also leading to low productivity • The farmers are conservative in nature Ø Institutional Factors: • The amount of public investment in agriculture is continuously declining • Agriculture is not protected as in the case of industries • Support price policy is not satisfactory • The size of the land holdings is not economical Ø Technical Factors: • The farmers are adopting poor techniques of production • The farmers are unable to tap the irrigation potential available • There are huge variations in the application of fertilizers among the states • Many regions in our country are prone to dry spells and some with heavy rainfall Ø Environmental Factors: • Global Warming • Soil degradation • Shifting cultivation • The reckless use of fertilizers • Soil, Water and Air pollution
MEASURES TO INCREASE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY IN INDIA 1. The proportion of people depending upon the agriculture must be decreased.
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2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Successful implementation of Bharat Nirman is necessary. A favorable support price policy leads to increased yield levels in agriculture. Agriculture , like industries , must be protected for favorable terms of trade. Public investments in agriculture must increase. Strict implementation of land reforms is necessary. Farmers must be able to utilized the extension services available like Agriculture Technology Management Agency[ATM]. 8. Availability of qualitative seeds is necessary for increasing the production of crop. 9. Cultivation of trees with the crops reduces global warming.
Organic farming helps in the improvement of quality of the crops and their production.
K.LIKITHA UGP/SS/13-‐16
#Crucibles Add on:
Policies that prioritize grain production will force India into the global food marketplace, not on its own terms.
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“Top Secrets of Successful People” As it is said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal, the courage to continue is what matters the most”. Successful people just go on with the flow of trends, yet leave their mark behind, and that is what sets them apart from other, uniquely. 1. Career: Successful people are resultaholic not workaholic. They think and talk strategically. They display leadership at every opportunity. They are demonstrable and unselfish team player. They seek to embrace and utilize new technology. 2. Health: Successful people pursue a healthy diet. They regard exercise as important. They reject smoking, Alcohol and drug. They get away for holidays and switch off. They have a weekly work-‐free day. 3. Relationships: Successful people always say thank you promptly. They make other people feel good and appreciated. They demonstrably listen to and seek to understand people’s viewpoint. They resolve differences rather than ignore them. They give gifts which show thoughtfulness. In Personal Finance successful people get on the property ladder. They manage debt effectively. They save and invest early in life and pensions. They consider charitable giving. They write a will. 4. Mental Attitude: Successful people think positively and always see a half-‐full glass not a half empty one. They never worry over things that can’t be changed. They develop a healthy Self-‐ esteem, Self-‐image and self-‐ confidence. They believe their goals will be achieved and wholeheartedly commit to them. They maintain self control whatever the situation. 5. Image and Appearance: Successful people dress to reflect and help to achieve their future aspirations. They are affective public speakers. They greet people warmly and display poise. They eliminate irritating habits. They develop their charisma. 6. Entrepreneurs: Successful people devote time to develop ideas for starring a business. They swim with the tide of opportunity, not against it. They turn infrastructure needs arising from new technology into business opportunities, e.g. website design. They research the market place and ideas rigorously. They reward people generously for achieving demanding goals. PANKAJ K. YADAV Professor, SMG Department Indian Institute of Management (IIPM)
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“Stress – Brawl behind the brain” Stress is like dark chocolate. A little of it won’t make much difference. Small chunks here and there can be good, or at least give a reason to get out of bed in the morning. But severe stress can damage one’s body and mind.
Stating the obvious, Stress happens. No matter how organized one is, or how friendly the work and living environments are, stress can find a way to poke its ugly head in from time to time. What can be done? …Turn to a convenient Stress Buster – a small, simple activity that clears all tension and helps in relaxation. Its time to kick that stress out of the door, a few ways being: 1. Take a walk Want a break from the office? Does your house feel like an asylum? Sneak out the door and let your feet take you somewhere. Not only will walking give you the opportunity to clear your head and take a break from that hectic situation, but it’s a great exercise, too. 2. Call a friend We all have someone whose voice alone perks us up. Ring them up, even for a few minutes. Whether a joke or a funny story, or just by listening, they will put a smile on your face and help you relax. Besides, what are friends for? 3. Write in a journal Expressing your feelings could be the best way to deal with stress. Keeping a journal is a way to capture those feelings at any moment. Just let your pen do the work. By the time you’re done, those feelings will be on their way out of your mind already. 4. Play a board game There might be a couple of these in your closet, waiting to be dusted off. Monopoly probably should be saved until you have a few hours to spare, but quick kids’ games like Snakes and ladders, UNO, Ludo, Jenga etc are always good for a smile. 5. The Brawl behind the brains
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Have some piled up frustrations? There’s no better way to get rid of them than by exercising. Pop in a workout playlist, sit back in your car and hit the roads. You’ll be too busy working up a sweat to worry about what’s stressing you out. Picture the stress leaving your body through your pores. 6. Its time to take a day of Now is the time to make a dinner for yourself, or plan a vacation to dream destinations.It’s a win-‐win situation. 7. Take a hot bath A hot bath will initially give your body a kick, which in turn will give your mind a kick too – and then it’ll slow both down. Add bubbles and a few candles and you have the ultimate soothing atmosphere. A rubber ducky is optional. 8. Its hobby time Does your work restrict you from enjoying your hobbies? Take time out and rejuvenate yourself. Not only will you have the time of your life, creativity will rise to higher levels too. A win-‐win situation, Again! 9. Laughter is the best medicine Laughing is probably the easiest way of getting rid off stress, why no plug in to your favorite comedy shows or follow up comedians and humorous videos on YouTube and other broadcasting channels and chill out? Coming down to students, stress can mean pending assignments, almost sleepy lectures, part time jobs, presentations or the most popular and feared, Exams! Some of the common and easy stress-‐busters are at your disposal. 1. A varied and healthy diet Eating fresh ingredients and lots of fruit is really important. Juices filled with vitamin C, such as orange or grapefruit juice, are said to be good for the immune system so can help with stress. 2. Exercise Doing sport at least once a week is the best way to reduce stress. Even 30 minutes of physical strain makes a lot of difference.
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3. Get a pet It is said that spending time with animals is good for health. Patting a dog for a couple of minutes helps the body release hormones that make one feel happy and can decrease the amount of stress in the system. 4. Sleep (and sign off Facebook) Sleep is always the best medicine and some people find that small 20-‐minutes nap can help increase productivity. As students, we tend to spend too much time on social media sites and answering emails, texts and phone calls. Socializing is fun – but too much of it, and too much computer time, can lead to more stress. 5. Quit smoking Some people say they smoke to relax, but researchers on the European Board for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco suggest that nicotine suppresses the hormone serotonin, which fights stress. That’s another good reason to quit. 6. Try to see the positive side If you missed a deadline, try to appreciate what you learned from this mistake: now you know how to plan ahead. Things might seem bad, but if you try, there is usually something positive to be learned. 7. Listen to music Listening to music can help calm you down and put you in a better frame of mind. Soft instrumentals do help a lot. 8. Take breaks regularly Short breaks between working can help you switch off. But longer breaks are important too. How about taking the weekend off to relax? Make time for fun and for yourself even if this means that you have to schedule time away from your work. You'll hopefully come back to your work, feeling refreshed and recharged. Its Game-‐On instantly. Stress is an important part of our daily routine, the adrenaline of life tends to disappear if stress is wiped off from our routine. Its all on Us how we take it and manage it to the best of our capabilities.
MUKHPREET KHURANA; UPG/SS/13-‐16
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“An unfair deal of Migrants” Many people leave their houses and come to city, in hope of better living conditions, but here the new world awaits for them to offer something else. Perhaps, the most moving movement in the film “Peepli Live” is at the very end, when hapless hero now a former farmer who is presumed to be dead and so without an identity, can be related to many countless workers on construction sites without any identity of their own .We do say that many government policies have been initiated like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural employment guarantee scheme (MGNREGS) for such kind of workers to provide them a better living conditions. But are they really benefited from these policies? The forces generating the movement of people for work are complex, but it is still a fact that a significant part of economic migration is the result of desperation. And that in turn affect the condition under which these migrants work. The need of labors can be felt in the so called developed cities like Gurgaon, where most of the elites of the country live and run their business. Here, the employers in the construction industries and other activities reliant on migrant labor mostly heard to be complaining that workers were no longer available at real wages that had become the norm. In recent years, rise of real wages and expansion of the construction industry had led some analyst to argue that migration is no longer distress driven but demand –driven, resulting from rapid economic growth. As employers are forced by labor market pressure to offer deal for workers, it always reflect that these migrants are benefited with many necessary facilities.
But the recent survey on migrants has something else to show. This survey states that conditions of migrant workers, especially short term and recent migrants remain problematic and pathetic. Around 200 migrants were taken into consideration for the survey in their current location as well as their earlier conditions and the lives of their families in their place of origin. Most of the migrants belong to Uttar Pradesh (UP), Bihar, Jharkhand, who came to Gurgaon in search of better life. The surveyed workers included those in garments and auto parts industries, construction sites, domestic work, self employed people in various activities. Out of these surveyed workers fourth-‐fifths were male workers while females were all either garment workers or domestic workers. The most striking result of this survey was that these 70% of workers were getting low wages of 5,000 and 7,000 a month and 17% were more than 7000 but less than 10,000. And some amount of this income, they have to send it to their families. The workers in this survey reported, authoritarian management practices, and frequent physical or verbal abuse and in
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general a sense of work environment of both unfriendly and unhealthy. Average working hours for these migrants’ workers are 8-‐12 hours with additional overtime of 5-‐6 hours. Mostly workers in auto parts and garment industries face such kind of problems. Taking a leave for more than a week from work for whatever reason could result in dismissal. These were the particular issues with women workers who got absolutely no maternity benefits. If they will go for it then, they have to lose their jobs and again start a search for fresh job. In other words, there is no job security for these workers. Inevitably, sanitation conditions were dreadful as well. Generally 10*10 square feet room was occupied by 5-‐6 people with no facilities of neat and clean toilets. There is no proper supply of water in their areas. Open and overflowing drains were common sights in their localities. Unhygienic conditions were likely to be associated with more frequent illness of water born diseases and pollution related chest and lung problems. And yet, these workers cannot afford the luxury of falling ill and taking leave or proper medication of their illness. If they do so that will result in dismissal. The most important question that arouse here is, “Aren’t these migrant workers part of our society? Don’t they have the right to live happily like others?” Reports like this one and others that depict the cruel conditions of migrant workers need to be focused much more not only by policy makers but also by citizen in general. We cannot hope to build a civilized society on the hope of such insensitive exploitation.
URVASHI TYAGI PGP/WIN/13-‐15
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“Romancing with the pen” Remembering Khushwant Singh (1915-‐2014) We, the copy paste, Internet dependent generation remembers The Literary Giant, Mr.Khushwant Singh, who passed away just like he wished — "swiftly, without much pain, like fading away in sound slumber”, on 20th March 2014 at his Delhi based residence. Born on 2 February 1915, a significant post-‐colonial writer, Khushwant Singh is known for his crystal clear secularism, humour and a deep passion for poetry. His assessment and comparison of social and
behavioural traits of people from India and the West goes beyond appreciation. His work was largely inspired by his own life. It had so much spice, that he never felt the need to look elsewhere for inspirations. Times changed and he began writing with vigour. His account of his grandmother in the book 'Portrait of a lady', remained his personal favourite. He also managed to write another influential book 'Mano Majra'. This was a documentation of the Indo-‐Pakistan separation. It was later published as 'A Train to Pakistan'. How much ever he would write, the monetary returns dissatisfied him. His constant dependence on his family, depressed him further. This is when he took to Sikhism. His research on the community, laid the thesis for his books in the series 'The History of Sikhs'. He turned into a scholar over night and universities all over the world started inviting him for delivering speeches and seminars. “He may seem like a carefree man, but he was as conservative as his own ancestors,” says Rahul Singh, his son. He would not attend Gurudwaras or even chant his prayers. He made fun of astrologers and superstitions too. However, he believed in his faith. He felt extremely responsible and attached to the Sikh community. He was a shy man, always trying to hide away his true colours from the society. Often he would be portrayed as a lover of wine and woman. However that was just a rumoured statement. He was as rooted to his family, as he was to his passion. His love and respect for his wife was so intense that he vowed to quit writing after his wife’s death. However, his romance with his pen was more intense than that with his wife. He continued to write and amuse the world at large till he breathed his last…
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Decorated with laurels of Rockefeller Grant, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and many more to add up to the Hall Of Fame, Khushwant Singh is a story untold himself. His life remains just as interesting as his literary works. His jokes, his love for poetry and his magnificent style and charisma continues to captivate millions, yet making millions fall in love with him and his pearls of literature.
#Crucibles Add on: “Morality is the matter of money. Poor people cannot afford to have morals. So they have religion.” -‐ Khushwant Singh, A Train to Pakistan
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“Warren Buffett – Sage of Omaha” Warren Edward Buffett, an American business bigwig, capitalist and altruist, born on August 30, 1930. He is well chosen as the most successful investor of the 20th century. He is the chairman, CEO and the largest shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway. He was termed as one of the most influential people by TIME in the year 2012. He is also referred to as “Wizard of Omaha”, “Oracle of Omaha”. He is noted for his cohesion to the value investing philosophy and his personal thrift despite his immense wealth. What are the strategies he implemented to be a successful investor? What are the principles he followed? Let’s take a look... To predict the happenings in stock market is impossible. W.B proved that even with the hurdles one can acquire lots of wealth and at the same time be successful if one knows how to tackle those situations. If we adopt the knack he had, even we can also be a successful investor like him. Buffett's principle for a remarkable success includes the following: • They have a good return on capital without a lot of debt. • They are understandable. • They see their profits in cash flow. • They have strong franchises and, therefore, freedom to price. • They don't take a genius to run. • Their earnings are predictable. • The management is owner-‐oriented. WB suggests that every capital should be carefully invested. WB’s two most favourite investing principles are: Rule 1: Capital must not go to loss Rule 2: Don't forget the first principle Ø WB doesn't perceive the business which he is not aware of. Everyone doesn't need to have a complete knowledge of all the businesses. Everyone has their own skill and talent in their respective sectors. Understanding the industries, you choose to invest is also important. You will then know how to protect the investment. Ø Competition also presents special better performance, allowing companies to quickly progress. Companies with less expenditure capital or the branded companies should be first recognized. Investments in such companies will help in promotion and development. Sometimes shares of branded companies come in affordable rates. Ø Grab such an opportunity, the critical thinking applied to buy a company must also be applied to buy a share. Once you understand exactly what the business is, it will be easy to
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take a decision on the quality of the company. Buffett's winning formula is to buy high-‐ quality companies shares at a lower cost. Ø Reasonable price can be invested to buy butchery but not for a least performance company with a good brand. Ø Stop predicting the market, its financial condition, the impact of elections on the market interest rates. Instead, analyze the company's economy, its expected value of future. If all of them are profitable then buy the share. What you think of a company when you buy a share in that company, its similar to own a company. When you clearly understand the business, you can check the density of the company you are investing in. You can buy a good company share at a higher price, but don't buy a company’s share which is at a loss or going into losses. To decrease the risk of loss limit, invest in 5-‐10 companies. This forces us to do more and more research on them. Many financial experts advise us to diversify the investments in different sectors so as to avoid the risk. But buffet's ideology is quite different from this fact. If he likes the company he invests most of his investment in it. His belief is that, if one understands the functioning of the company and its economy they can increase the revenue without the fear of losses. One should remember that price is paid to get quality. To invest in shares of attractive priced shares is important. If company value is less than share value, Buffet buy only those shares when he feels that the shares are secure. If you are an investor in a company, you should know what is happening, what the company is going to do. If you are a speculator, you should keep an eye on the momentum of share prices. According to buffet, a good investor is the one who analyze the market and invest accordingly, when others are either active or inactive respectively. If the other investors sell of their shares they will be in huge losses. Buffet’s most influencing idea about investments is to take wise decisions in investing and minimise the probability of false decision, resulting in high profits. His ideologies, discipline, insistence, bravery, firmness, faith and patience made him what he is “today”.
KARTHIK PABBATHENENI PGP/SS/13-‐15
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“Frozen Frames”
“No bubble is so iridescent or floats longer than that blown by the successful teacher” – William Osler
Equipment: Nikon D3100 with 18-‐55mm(f/3.5-‐5.6) VR lens Aperture: f/5.6 Shutter Speed: 1/200 ISO: 400 White Balance: Cloudy Location: Universal Studios, Singapore
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“DISCREET DIARIES” 1.
2. 3. 4.
Starbucks redesigned Round Tables so that, the customers wouldn’t feel lonely. And when they are in a company, they mostly talk about Starbucks and it’s Coffee. Walmart averages a profit of 1.8 Million Dollars per hour. Apple’s iPad’s Retina Display was made not made by Apple but by its competitor Samsung. DASANI, one of the biggest names in the international world 5. and for Purified Water. It is just actually ‘Purified Tap Water’ 6. . nothing mysterious.
5. As of early 2012, Apple held more operating cash than the United States Government. 6. Iceland consumes more Coca Cola per capita than any other country. 7. No two corn flakes look the same. 8. M&M's chocolate stands for the initials for its inventors Mars and Murrie. 9. Coca-‐Cola originally contained cocaine. 10. Hilton was the first international hotel chain. 11. Porsche also builds tractors. 12. MasterCard was originally called Master Charge. 13. The last Play Boy centrefold to have staples was published in 1985. 14. There are 1,929,770,126,028,800 different colour combinations possible on a Rubik's Cube. 15. 40% of McDonalds profits come from the sales of Happy Meals. 16. The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum. 17. The first Lifesaver flavour was peppermint. 18. The least financially successful harry potter film made $90 million more than the most successful twilight movie. 19. SHARP, a Japanese company, founded in 1912 and started its brand by selling a mechanical pencil. This is where the name comes from still today even if they’ve turned into a multi-‐national electronics company. After a big earthquake that destroyed the business completely in 1923, Sharp started producing the first generation of Japanese radio sets.
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“EINSTEIN’S POPCORN” 1. Expand SEBI a. Stock Exchange Bureau of India b. Stock Exchange Board of India c. Securities Exchange Bureau of India d. Securities and Exchange Board of India
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Ans: (d) Securities and Exchange Board of India
Which popular IT company has the popular slogan “High Performance , Delivered” a. Accenture b. EDS c. Microsoft d. IBM Ans: (a) Accenture Which bank offers a virtual temporary credit card for online purchases called NetSafe? a. ICICI Bank b. HDFC c. HSBC d. State Bank of India Ans: (d) HDFC With which airliner was Jet Airways in talk of merger/acquisitions? a. Air Sahara b. Air Deccan c. Indian Airlines d. GoAir Ans: (a) Air Sahara Which of the following popular microprocessor major went for a major re-‐branding exercise in 2006 after decades of staying with the old logo? a. AMD b. Intel c. Nokia d. Qualcomm Ans: (a) AMD Which of the following logistics company is associated with Deutsche Post? a. Blue Dart b. DHL c. SkyPak d. FedEx Ans: (b) DHL
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7. Which asset management company took a 49.9% stake in Sundaram Mutual Fund to enter into India via Joint Venture route? a. BNP Paribhas b. Citigroup c. CIGNA d. Merill Lynch Ans: (a) BNP Paribhas 8. If you are in Singapore, in which currency do you pay the taxi driver? a. Singapore Rupaiah b. Singapore Rupee c. Singapore Dollar d. Singapore Cents Ans: (c) Singapore Dollar 9. Paul Jacobs is the CEO of which of the following companies? a. Microsoft b. Nokia c. Sun d. Qualcomm Ans: (d) Qualcomm 10. Who is the following is the son of Lakshmi Mittal of Mittal Steels? a. Aditya Mittal b. Bob Mittal c. Sunil Mittal d. Sanjay Mittal Ans: (a) Aditya Mittal 11. Which company bought IBM PC Division in 2005? a. Lenevo b. Sony c. Samsung d. Toshiba Ans: (a) Lenevo 12. Which major Indian Corporate Group is popular as ADAG? a. Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group b. Anil Dhirubhai Associated Group c. Ambani Dhirubhai Associated Group d. Ambani Dhirubhai Assorted Group Ans: (a) Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group 13. In Mutual Fund terminology, What is a SIP? a. Start Investment Plan b. Simple Investment Plan c. Serial Investment Plan
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d. Systematic Investment Plan
Ans: (d) Systematic Investment Plan
14. What is the name of BPO arm of IT major Satyam Computer Services Limited? a. Nipuna b. Naipunya c. Progen d. Prosoft Ans: (a) Nipuna
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